From the Canadian in charge of the joint military command in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, this is the real on-the-ground story of one of NATO's bloodiest, most decisive and misunderstood operations: The battle of Panjwayi, the defining moment of "Operation Medusa."
In the summer of 2006, David Fraser was the Canadian general in charge of NATO's Regional Command South, a territory spanning six Afghan provinces surrounding the Arghandab Valley. Birthplace of the Taliban decades earlier, this fertile region had since become Afghanistan's most deadly turf. It would soon turn deadlier still. Advised in the night by his intelligence officers that the Taliban had secretly amassed for a full-scale military assault, Fraser knew it would fall to him, his Canadians and their allies to avoid the wholesale slaughter of NATO troops, keep the Taliban from laying siege to Kandahar and restore control of the south of the country to a newly formed, democratic Afghan government. The odds were solidy against Fraser's forces. The Taliban knew every millimetre of their own terrain. During the months of secret manoeuvres they had stocked every farmhouse, school, grape hut and tunnel with weapons and ammunition. They had drilled Soviet-era landmines into all of the marijuana and poppy fields, and dug IEDs into every roadway. Protected from detection by corrupt officials, their sophisticated warfare schools had successfully readied an army of zealous fighters to attack and fight to the death. And now their top commanders were poised to launch decisive military operations against freshly arrived troops who had never seen combat. The bloodiest battle in NATO's history was about to begin.
Praise for Operation Medusa:
“Operation Medusa: The Furious Battle That Saved Afghanistan from the Taliban is extraordinary for what it says (and maybe more for what it doesn't say) about the combat mission that arguably changed the course of a war that claimed the lives of 159 Canadian soldiers and cost billions of Canadian dollars.” —CBC
One of Canada's most decorated generals since World War II, DAVID FRASER was the commander of Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, the largest combat engagement of Canadian armed forces in more than fifty years. His honours and awards include Commander of Military Merit, Canadian Meritorious Service Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, United States Legion of Honor and Bronze Star(for service in Afghanistan) and awards from the Netherlands, Poland and NATO.
View titles by Major General David Fraser
After a decade at sea in the Navy. BRIAN HANINGTON turned to writing Canadian History. He has published more than a dozen books, lectured in twenty countries and crafted speeches for heads of state, admirals, generals, a knight or two and the Pope.
View titles by Brian Hanington
From the Canadian in charge of the joint military command in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, this is the real on-the-ground story of one of NATO's bloodiest, most decisive and misunderstood operations: The battle of Panjwayi, the defining moment of "Operation Medusa."
In the summer of 2006, David Fraser was the Canadian general in charge of NATO's Regional Command South, a territory spanning six Afghan provinces surrounding the Arghandab Valley. Birthplace of the Taliban decades earlier, this fertile region had since become Afghanistan's most deadly turf. It would soon turn deadlier still. Advised in the night by his intelligence officers that the Taliban had secretly amassed for a full-scale military assault, Fraser knew it would fall to him, his Canadians and their allies to avoid the wholesale slaughter of NATO troops, keep the Taliban from laying siege to Kandahar and restore control of the south of the country to a newly formed, democratic Afghan government. The odds were solidy against Fraser's forces. The Taliban knew every millimetre of their own terrain. During the months of secret manoeuvres they had stocked every farmhouse, school, grape hut and tunnel with weapons and ammunition. They had drilled Soviet-era landmines into all of the marijuana and poppy fields, and dug IEDs into every roadway. Protected from detection by corrupt officials, their sophisticated warfare schools had successfully readied an army of zealous fighters to attack and fight to the death. And now their top commanders were poised to launch decisive military operations against freshly arrived troops who had never seen combat. The bloodiest battle in NATO's history was about to begin.
Praise
Praise for Operation Medusa:
“Operation Medusa: The Furious Battle That Saved Afghanistan from the Taliban is extraordinary for what it says (and maybe more for what it doesn't say) about the combat mission that arguably changed the course of a war that claimed the lives of 159 Canadian soldiers and cost billions of Canadian dollars.” —CBC
Author
One of Canada's most decorated generals since World War II, DAVID FRASER was the commander of Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, the largest combat engagement of Canadian armed forces in more than fifty years. His honours and awards include Commander of Military Merit, Canadian Meritorious Service Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, United States Legion of Honor and Bronze Star(for service in Afghanistan) and awards from the Netherlands, Poland and NATO.
View titles by Major General David Fraser
After a decade at sea in the Navy. BRIAN HANINGTON turned to writing Canadian History. He has published more than a dozen books, lectured in twenty countries and crafted speeches for heads of state, admirals, generals, a knight or two and the Pope.
View titles by Brian Hanington
